Special Events
At TreeHouse we have been fortunate to be the beneficiary of a number of special events. We are currently promoting the News Quiz event. If you wish to know more about this or be alerted about and forthcoming special events then please do email the fundraising team at TreeHouse or call on 020 8815 5433.
Middlesex University Fun Run 2008
TreeHouse is absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the beneficiary of this year’s Middlesex University Fun Run, which will take place on Wednesday 21 May 2008, 5.30pm at Trent Country Park in Oakwood. The event will promote the health benefits of physical activity as well as raise significant funds for TreeHouse. It’s a really well known fixture throughout our community and TreeHouse is thrilled to be associated with such a brilliant local event.
The 5km run will take place over the traditional course of fields and footpaths in Trent Park, whilst the health walk event will follow a 3km route through the beautiful country park, led by a guide.
The event is open to everyone, so why not get your running shoes on? To raise money for TreeHouse by entering this year’s event, please visit Middlesex University Events Page or phone 020 8411 4734. You can also donate online at Just Giving. Remember to tick the ‘Gift Aid’ box if you are a UK taxpayer!
TreeHouse would like to thank everyone at Middlesex University and the London Sport Institute, especially all the staff and students, for their support.
Here are some examples of past special events that have been held to raise funds for TreeHouse:
TreeHouse's News Quiz hosted by Jon Snow 1 November 2007
TreeHouse patron Jon Snow hosted a special quiz event on 1 
November 2007 to honour TreeHouse’s tenth birthday.
The quiz was held at the Clothworkers’ Hall, London EC3 and had a news theme. Jon is almost as renowned for his colourful ties as he is for his news reading and paid homage to both during the evening!
TreeHouse has been in the news many times over the last decade, drawing attention to the need to make appropriate education available to all children with autism.
But how well do you remember the news from the last ten years? Jon asked our teams to cast their minds back to headlines from 1997-2007 in order to answer a series of tantalising questions, covering topics from the serious to the frivolous.
TreeHouse would like to extend their thanks to Jon Snow for helping make the event such a success and to all the supporters and guests that came along and made the evening so memerable.
'Making it Better' book reading event, Thursday 13 September 2007
On Thursday 13 September, two bestselling authors came together at the Hornsey Library in Crouch End to discuss the different experiences and approaches to life, of families with children with autism. The event was held in aid of TreeHouse and featured Marti Leimbach and Kamran Nazeer, both of whom have a connection with autism.
The event featured an introduction to TreeHouse by our Headteacher Gill Bierschenk and included not only a reading from each of the authors’ books, but also the opportunity for the audience to ask questions. The authors were also available to sign copies of their books.
TreeHouse friends old and new attended the event, which proved to be a very enjoyable evening. Both Marti Leimbach and Kamran Nazeer provided a wonderful insight into their lives with autism and offered our audience advice and encouragement too.
TreeHouse would like to offer their extended thanks to the authors, the guests and the supporters, who all came together to make this such a lovely evening.
TreeHouse and NAS exclusive screening of Snow Cake, September 2006
On the 28 September 2006, BAFTA hosted an exclusive drinks reception and screening of the film 'Snow Cake' followed by a question and answer session with the film’s leading actor Alan Rickman in aid of TreeHouse and The National Autistic Society (NAS).
Snow Cake is a drama directed by Marc Evans starring Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver. The film focuses on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman (Weaver) and a man (Rickman) who is traumatised after a fatal car accident. It is a film about friendship, snow, acceptance, obsessive cleaning, a dog called Marilyn, and about finding the warmest of friendships in the coldest of places.
TreeHouse and the NAS were delighted to be able to offer our supporters this unique opportunity to attend a special viewing of the film and to discuss autism and the issues addressed in the film with Alan Rickman and others associated with its production.
Sigourney Weaver says about her role, "As soon as I read the script for Snow Cake, I knew that I wanted to play the role of Linda, a very special woman who has autism. I hope that as many people as possible see Snow Cake, as I think that it gives an insight into autism which has not previously been portrayed through film before. In this way, the film can raise awareness of this fascinating and complex disability. The work of TreeHouse and The National Autistic Society is crucial in ensuring that people with autism are understood and supported so that they can reach their full potential. The vital funds raised from this screening will help both charities to continue their fantastic work for people with autism throughout the UK."
Crouch End 10K race and children's one mile fun runs, May 2006
Hornsey YMCA has organised the Crouch End 10K and children’s one mile fun runs every year since 1991 and in 2006 they celebrate the event's 16th year. The event has grown from a small family-focused event to a large well-known and much loved community event attracting club athletes, fitness enthusiasts, YMCA supporters and fun-runners raising money for charity, with attendance from celebrities and local dignitaries. Each year the event supports a local charity and TreeHouse was delighted to be the beneficiary for 2006.
Knitting and Stitching Show, October 2005
TreeHouse was the Charity of the Knitting and Stitching Show 2005 at Alexandra Palace. This was a great first time opportunity for us to tell the thousands of visitors to the show about TreeHouse and also to raise over £5,000.
The money was principally raised through a raffle and we are enormously grateful to all our generous prize contributors. For many visitors to the show, it was their first encounter with TreeHouse and it gave them an opportunity not only to support TreeHouse but also, in many cases, to share their own stories.
We greatly enjoyed meeting everyone who talked to us, whether at the stand or in conversations over much needed visitor rests! We are hugely grateful to Andrew Salmon and his team at Twisted Thread for giving us the opportunity to participate in this prestigious event.
TreeHouse has a very successful night on the Orient Express, July 2004
Members of TreeHouse staff could be seen dressing up for a night of fun and entertainment on the Orient Express as they took part in the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists’ (WCIT) annual ball. Organised by Intellect, it was a successful evening at the Honourable Artillery Company, on City Road, with entertainment, dancing and fireworks—not to mention extremely successful fundraising. This included a tombola, silent and live auctions and a raffle. The live auction included prizes such as a flight in a Royal Navy helicopter, a trip on the Orient Express from Venice to London and a children’s party on board the Golden Hinde, kindly donated by Katharine Doré. An extra special prize was donated on the night by Eleni Stamati-Macleod – a week in an apartment minutes from the Olympic stadium in Athens during the Olympic Games. Money is still coming in; the total raised will be over £50,000. This money will fund the purchase of pocket computers on which the teachers will collect pupil data, new computers for every class in the school and a brand new computer server.
The night that changed TreeHouse's fortunes...and the face of education for children with autism, October 2003
A group of over 400 of the City’s most influential players – and a government minister – is an audience for which most charities would move mountains. TreeHouse had precisely this audience at a transformational evening at the Savoy Hotel - the occasion being the annual October Club charitable dinner.
One of the founding parents of TreeHouse, Nick Hornby, was one of the speakers at the dinner along with John Smith, Chairman of Global Equities at ABN Amro who put his high-powered job on hold 2 years ago to educate his 5 year old autistic son Fraser. The Club’s annual dinner raised close to £440,000 to enable TreeHouse to share their good practice through the development of accredited national training for many hundreds of autism practitioners.
TreeHouse Chief Executive Christine Asbury said:
“This was a night that changed TreeHouse’s fortunes. Our message was presented professionally and powerfully to some of the most important people in the City, as well as Baroness Ashton, Under-Secretary for Education. Without the October Club, TreeHouse could never have imagined how to reach such an influential group with a compelling and urgent message about the difficulties of autism and of finding an effective educational intervention. Not only that, but the massive sums raised will enable us to roll out our plans to disseminate good educational practice and transform the lives of the thousands of children with autism in the country who are currently receiving a woefully inadequate education. “
David McDonough, Chairman of the October Club said:
“TreeHouse is a fantastic charity. The October Club embraced them wholeheartedly. We want to see lots of TreeHouse special schools around the country as a result of their teacher training initiative we have funded. But we also want to see them becoming the gold standard in teaching children with autism – and we would like to see this Government do more to encourage more positive responses to autism from the NHS and state education.”
World premiere, About A Boy, April 2004
The Empire cinema, Leicester Square, hosted the world premiere of About A Boy. The film, which is based on Nick Hornby's best selling novel, stars Hugh Grant, Toni Collette and Rachel Weisz.
Many celebrities and TreeHouse supporters attended the screening and after show party, which was held at the Saatchi Gallery in St John's Wood.
The evening generated a fantastic £50,000 in ticket sales and donations, which has been used for TreeHouse's work supporting severely autistic children.
TreeHouse is incredibly grateful to: Nick Hornby, United International Pictures and Universal Pictures International for enabling TreeHouse to be involved in the premiere; all of the companies and individuals who bought tickets and made donations, notably Hugh Grant and Clemmow Hornby Inge; and Nibbs Events for arranging such an enjoyable and successful event.
Back to top
